Fibre membrane filtration is a well developed method which involves the use of a large number of hollow tubular micro-porous fibres. Each fibre is adapted to allow filtrate to flow from the exterior of the fibre through micro-pores in the fibre wall to the interior of the fibre, while excluding impurities from the filtrate. The pores can be, for example, around 0.2 micrometers in diameter.
In practice, many thousands of fibres are bundled together and encased in a shell, the complete assembly being known as a module 5 (see FIG. 2). The shell 6 is usually cylindrical and the fibres 7 extend longitudinally therethrough. The ends of the shell are sealed, usually with a resin or the like known as the potting forming a plug 8 at each end. The ends of the hollow fibres 7 extend through, and are encased in the potting plug 8 so that the interior of each of the fibres 7 is in communication with the exterior of the module 5 at both ends, thereby allowing filtrate to be removed from two end locations. Alternatively, both ends of each fibre may extend through the potting and communicate with the exterior at one end of the module 5, or the fibres at one end may extend through the potting, the other fibre ends being sealed.
As shown in FIG. 1, the modules 5 are usually (but not necessarily) disposed in "banks" 9, each comprising a row of modules 5 sharing a manifold 10, the banks being arranged in an array.
In use, feed or influent is introduced to the space intermediate the exterior of the fibres and the interior of a module shell. Filtrate flows through the micro-porous membrane of the fibres 7 into the interior of the fibres and thereafter flows along the length of the fibres passing through the plug 8 to the exterior of the module 5, usually into a manifold.
The operation of the filtering system is normally controlled by a number of valves 11 which control the flow of feed to the system, the flow of filtrate, backwashing of the filters using gas and/or filtrate, and introduction of wetting agents and special chemical cleaning agents during backwashing. These valves 11 are typically pneumatically operated by compressed air, with the flow of compressed air to each valve being controlled by an electrically operated solenoid.
Operation of the system may be monitored by detectors which measure fluid flow, fluid pressure, temperature and other parameters at various points throughout the system. Feedback loops may be built into the system to ensure the system is operating according to preset control conditions.
During use the fibres become clogged with the filtered impurities and require "backwashing" at regular intervals to remove the impurities and maintain the efficiency of the filtering. The frequency and type of backwashing will be dependent on the state and type of feedstream being filtered. FIG. 3 illustrates flux decline with various types of feed. In many situations the state of the feedstream is dynamic and thus it is difficult to predict when and how often backwashing will be required. This can lead to the system being set to cope with a "worst case" situation, causing the system to be run inefficiently.
Furthermore, choosing the size, number and type of modules 5 required when designing a filtration plant for a particular purpose involves the consideration of a number of factors. For example, plant capacity, level of filtration required, backwashing requirements and type of feedstream to be filtered each need to be investigated. Whilst some of these factors are relatively easy to measure, quantifying the characteristics of the feedstream in particular has proved difficult. Plant designers have tended in this respect to make assumptions about feedstream quality based on previous experience with similar types of feedstreams. To ensure that a particular filtration result is achieved, the plant may be designed using "worst case" assumptions for the feedstream. The designer must then balance these feedstream assumptions against size and cost constraints, as well as the other factors discussed above.
The problem of feedstream assessment is exacerbated when an unusual or unique feedstream is involved. In such cases, extensive and costly testing with scale models may be required to assess the effects of the particular feedstream on the desired type of filter unit. This adds significantly to the costs of designing and building filtration plants, particularly where many different filter units need to be tested.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least substantially ameliorate one or more of these disadvantages of the prior art.
A further object of the invention, at least in one of its aspects, is to provide a control and monitoring system which can ascertain the state of the feedstream in real time and control the filtering system dynamically in response to the state of the feedstream.